Charles Ellicott Commentary Jonah 4:6

"And Jehovah God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his evil case. So Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd." — Jonah 4:6 (ASV)

Prepared. See Note, Jonah 1:17.

A gourd. So the Septuagint translates the Hebrew qiqaion, which, since the time of Jerome, has usually been identified with the Arabic el keroa, the castor-oil tree (Ricinus communis, or Palma Christi; see margin). It is a large shrub, having large palmate leaves, with serrated lobes, and spikes of blossoms which produce the seed from which the well-known medicinal oil is extracted, in small rough husks. The strongest argument in favour of this view is the proposed derivation of the Hebrew name from the Egyptian kiki, and the rabbinical name for castor-oil, kiki-oil. [22]

In spite of this etymological argument, Dr. Tristram says: “Practical reasons cause me to lean strongly to the translation of our English version, gourd, that is, the bottle gourd (Cucurbita pepo).

In Palestine, the vernacular names are almost identical in sound, “kurah” being the gourd, “khurwah” the castor-oil tree. But the gourd is very commonly employed in Palestine for the purpose of shading arbours. Its rapid growth and large leaves render it admirably adapted for training on trellis-work ... But the plant withers as rapidly as it shoots, and after a storm or any injury to its stem, its fruit may be seen hanging from the leafless tendrils, which so lately concealed it, a type of melancholy desolation” (Nat Hist. of the Bible, p. 449).

[22] A Semitic origin for the word is rendered probable by its discovery in the form quqanitu on a small tablet which the Babylonian king Marduk-bal-iddin (Merodach-baladan) ordered to be set in a garden. (See letters of Dr. F. Delitzsch to the Athenœum of May 26th and June 9th, 1883.)

Made it to come up. Rather, it came up.

Deliver. In the original, there is a play of words on this word and shadow.